Training and Professional Development

The vision of the Supreme Court is to establish and maintain a world-class Judiciary. Aligned with this vision, the Supreme Court accords a high priority to equipping its registrars with the skills and competencies to discharge their judicial functions with excellence, and to developing the registrars to their full potential.

To that end, the Training and Professional Development Committee (“TPDC”) was established to institute a programme for the training and professional development of registrars of the Supreme Court. The TPDC designed a training programme that is both extensive and intensive after studying the judicial training programmes found in major civil and common law systems, and consulting with existing and former registrars of the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice has approved the TPDC’s training programme, which includes the following key features:

Continuing training to strengthen and deepen knowledge and expertise in core areas, such as civil procedure, court craft and legal drafting. The training initially covers more foundational topics and progresses to areas of greater complexity.

Targeted instruction for more senior registrars to specialise in particular areas of the law, such as admiralty, arbitration, building and construction, intellectual property and information technology.

Continuing education in different forms and formats to broaden general legal knowledge and exposure, such as legal updates on areas of substantive law like Administrative Law, Contracts, and Torts.

Development of sensitivity to social, economic and political contexts within which the registrars function to increase the understanding of areas related to the law and justice system. For instance, inter-disciplinary courses on topics such as medicine, ethics and social sciences, are included in the programme.

Periodic evaluation, feedback and reviews of performance, including assessment of and feedback on hearings video-taped for training purposes.

Coaching and mentorship by senior registrars and High Court Judges. Registrars are also provided opportunities to sit-in with Judges for hearings, as well as Registrar’s Appeals, taxation reviews and summons applications.

Attachments to the foreign courts like the Royal Courts of Justice and the Technology and Construction Courts of England, the District Courts, High Court, Court of Appeal and Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong, and the Supreme Court of Victoria. Arrangements are also in place for additional training through attachments with local agencies and departments like the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.

Guided development of work skills based on the seniority of the registrars, in areas such as leadership, policy formulation, public administration, finance and management.

The Supreme Court is committed to making available the best learning and development programme to its registrars, and takes an uncompromising approach to ensuring its relevance and standards are those befitting of a world-class judiciary.